When I was a child we use to spend our summer holidays in a little village near Roma called Montorio Romano. To get to the village we had to go past Nerola, a small town on the old Roman road known as the via Salaria. Outside Nerola, at the 47 kilometre ‘milestone’, there was an isolated house in which a famous serial killer, il Mostro di Nerola, had lived and killed his victims during the 1940’s.

Ernesto Picchioni, detto il Mostro di Nerola (photo: Public Domain)

Every time we drove past this house in our green FIAT 850, my two older brothers would get all excited and would start shouting: “Ora passiamo davanti alla casa del Mostro di Nerola! Ecco la casa! Attenti che esce fuori il mostro!” (Now we are going to pass in front of the Nerola Monster’s house! Here’s the house! Watch out for the monster: he’s coming out!) All this crying and shouting always terrified me, and I would sit hidden in the back seat with my eyes shut, clenching the rear of the front seat until we got past the house … and I finally felt safe.

It was, therefore, with a sense of pleasure and relief that I recently read in an aromatherapy book that the name of this little town is also linked to something positive and beautiful, and not just a monster: the essential oil of Neroli. Apparently this precious essential oil was created in the XVII century by Anna Maria Orsini princess of Nerola, by distilling the blossom of the bitter orange (Citrus Aurantium). The oil has a warm, sweet and flowery aroma, and Anna Maria was said to have used it to scent her gloves.
Today it’s not very likely that anyone would use Olio di Neroli in this way as it is one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive essential oil available. I still remember the expression of disbelief on my friend’s face when she bought some Olio di Neroli as a birthday present for her sister: holding in her hands a small half full 10 ml bottle she kept repeating “£15 for this!!!?”

The Uses and Benefits of Neroli Essential Oil:

Olio di Neroli has a strong calming and uplifting effect. If it’s used as a room perfume it’s very effective in fighting mental stress, anxiety, and depression. It also aids sleep in overexcited children (no, you don’t make them drink it!). Used for massage, diluted in a carrier oil, Neroli aids digestion by calming cramps and spasms in the abdominal area. Neroli oil is also able to regenerate cells, therefore facilitates scar healing, and it reduces skin marks such as wrinkles (hmmmm, Geoff, would you like to try some, darling?).

Before and after using Olio di Neroli. Disclaimer, this image has not been Photo-shopped by Geoff …. well maybe just a little ….

Here’s a recipe for a very simple facial mask: mix together a tablespoonful of honey, one egg white and 2 drops of Neroli essential oil. Apply this cream to your face and leave it to dry, then rinse it away with warm water. The result will be immediate: even the most tired skin will look smooth, fresh, and perfectly nourished. Provare per credere!